


RWBY Pokémon

by Dragonraptor



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M, Pokemon AU, Pokemon Trainers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2020-05-15 17:19:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19300270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonraptor/pseuds/Dragonraptor
Summary: It's RWBY but it is also Pokémon! Watch as these crazy kids join forces with crazy Pokémon to do, well, crazy stuff.





	1. Ruby and Weiss kinda explode

**Author's Note:**

> Here's an idea I've had in my mind for a while now. I hope you guys enjoys! Feel free to leave your opinions in the commentaries.

     “Come on slowpoke! Try to keep up!”

     “We can’t let them win, Crescent Rose!”

     “ _Scyther!_ ”

     The four of them sped through the forest path, one a red and green blur, the other a golden jet with random fires erupting.

     “Use Agility!”

     “Hey wait! That’s –”

     But Crescent sped forward before Yang could finish her thought. Laughing despite almost falling off (Scythers, after all, weren’t supposed to be used as mounts), Ruby shook her head, loving the feeling of the wind in her short hair. The world around them sped by like a green blur, the squarish behemoth that was Beacon quickly growing before them, dark against the blue sky. And then they barreled through the front gates.

     “Ha! We one! Take that Yang – WATCH OUT!”

     Ruby had been mainly yelling at Crescent Rose, who had been commemorating their victory along with Ruby but the pale figure in front of them seemingly heard her loud and clear. Unfortunately, her reaction wasn’t nearly quick enough. The pair crashed against a white blur, falling to the floor with a small explosion.

     “ _Get off me, dolt!_ ”

     Whatever they crashed into sounded very girly, very salty and very angry. Oh… Ruby snapped up when she properly understood what had happened. Underneath her was a very angry looking girl, white as snow with blazing blue eyes and hair like moonlight. She and Crescent jumped back, both rubbing their necks nervously.

     “Heh… sorry there we weren’t –”

     “Looking, yes, that was quite obvious!” the angry girl said, pushing herself off the ground with great elegance. In her arms was a white fluffy thing – a white Vulpix – wait, no, that would be an Alolan Vulpix. They weren’t native to the Remnant Region but they had been imported by Atlas, where they were still bred. The Vulpix, like her owner, looked quite angry too, growling at the two of them. “Do you have any idea what sort of harm you could’ve done? Don’t answer that, given your doltish look, you clearly have no idea. Riding a Pokémon in such high velocity in a not designated area is –”

     The girl was interrupted in the middle of her rant by the arrival of Yang. Good too, because if Ruby had shrunk anymore, she could’ve fit inside a Poké Ball. The angry lady wasn’t so pleased, seeing as Bumblebee, Yang’s shiny Arcanine, kicked a considerable amount of dust on the girl (which may or may not have been on purpose). Of course, Yang had seen the whole thing from a distance and was already laughing her butt off.

     “Making friends already, Rubes?” Yang asked between bouts of laughter.

     Crescent Rose, who was hiding behind Ruby, shook his head fervently.

     “No… we accidentally ran over her and she started yelling at us!”

     Yang shrugged. “That is the normal reaction.”

     The blonde jumped off Bumblebee, bumping quite forcefully against a girl clad in black and white. But both the girl and Yang had good reflexes. The former was already twisting to soften her fall when Yang grabbed her by the hand.

     “Sorry, there,” Yang apologized, hoisting the girl up with ease. “Didn’t see you.”

     “That’s okay…” the dark girl said, a bit flustered by being caught, and trying to make her escape.

     “Yang,” her sister said with a grin, patted her partner and then added: “This is Bumblebee.”

     At that moment a dark blur jumped onto the girl – an Umbreon. The way its ears stuck out over the girl’s head reminded Ruby of a bow.

     “I’m Blake Belladonna and this,” she added scratching the Pokémon’s chin. “Is Shroud.”

     Yang smiled, winked at Blake (making Ruby roll her eyes) and then turned to Ruby and the white (still seething) girl.

     “See? That’s how it is done.”

     “Uh…” Ruby scratched her head. “I’m Ruby and this is Crescent Rose. I’m also a Rose. Not like the plant!” she added – unnecessarily. “Me and Crescent share the same surname.”

     The girl’s left eye (which, Ruby noticed, was scarred) twitched. “Charming.” Then she sighed. “I’m Weiss Schnee and this is Myrtenaster III.”

     “Wow, you must be really bad at raising Pokémon, huh?”

     Weiss chocked and mumbled as if Ruby had strangled her. “I’ll have you know that Myrtenaster is a traditional name in my family!”

     “Three isn’t _really_ a tradition…” Yang pointed out. Bumblebee agreed with her.

     “The Schnees haven’t been around for long,” explained Blake.

     “Finally! Somebody that recognizes –”

     “They became big after they founded the Schnee Pokémon Company. Infamous for their predatory and corrupt industrial practices, rampant worker abuse, questionable business partners and not to mention their abysmal treatment of Pokémon.”

     Ruby tilted her head. Yeah, she had heard something about that in the news or something, and then there were your average critics online. Not that people had much of  a choice when it came to the SPC since they were effectively the only Pokémon company in Remnant. Yet, the way the girl – Weiss – reacted when Ruby insinuated that she had mistreated the “previous Myrtenasters” was telling enough that whatever the Schnee Company may or may not do, Weiss had nothing to do with it.

     “How dare you – UH!” Weiss shook her head and brought Myrtenaster closer to her chest, who was eyeing them coolly. “We do not need to hear this!” she added, grabbing her fallen bag and walking away with surprising speed considering the size of her heels.

     “I mean…” Yang scratched the back of her neck. “That could’ve gone better –” she frowned. “Where did the other girl go?”

     For sure, the other girl – Blake – disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared. You would think a girl draped in black in such a sunny day with an Umbreon on her shoulder would be easy to find. If you thought that, you would be wrong (and clearly you don’t know Blake Belladonna).

     “Oh, well,” Yang shrugged. Suddenly, she hooked an arm around Ruby. “Let us get going. You know, Ruby, you gotta learn to be more assertive.”

     Bumblebee agreed with Yang.

     Ruby sighed. “I know,” she said. “It’s just that she was yelling at me and she was so scary –”

     Yang laughed. “The Snow Queen? Please! And I bet Crescent could handle that little plush she was carrying.”

     “ _Scyther!_ ”

     Ruby nodded. “Cress is right, Yang. Myrtenaster has the type advantage.”

     Yang puffed, waving the fact aside.

     “Typing isn’t that important if you can carry a strong enough punch – GAH!”

     Basing on the girly scream that she heard (that definitely didn’t come from Yang), Ruby thought for a second that they had collided with another girl. But no. It was a scraggly, blonde boy. Over his head was a floating sword – a Honedge.

     “Sorry!” Ruby bumbled, scrambling over her sister to get up as Crescent Rose tried to hoist her up (scythes aren’t very good at holding things).

     “No! I’m sorry – Hey, that’s a cool Scyther, you have there!”

     “Thanks! This,” Ruby waved at the Pokémon trying to help her up. “Is Crescent Rose. And I am Ruby Rose. That’s a cool Honedge, by the way.”

     The blonde kid looked up as the ghost Pokémon seemed to bob happily, pleased at being called “cool”.

     “Yeah, that would be Mors. And I’m Jaune, by the way!”

     “Weren’t you the guy that was puking in the ship earlier?” Yang asked.

     Her sister had somehow managed to get off the floor before Ruby despite she being under the redhead. Hooking her hand under her right arm, Yang hoisted Ruby up as if she weighed nothing.

     “Yang!” Ruby protested. “That wasn’t very nice!”

     “No. No. Heh…” Jaune rubbed his neck awkwardly. “Vomit Boy, that would be me. Air travel makes me sick.” Honedge shook in midair, which Ruby took to mean that he was shaking his head.

     “Hey,” Yang said, hooking the poor boy under her armpit, almost knocking him face first into the ground in the process. “We’ve all been there one time or another.” Suddenly, she hooked Ruby under her other armpit and started strolling away with them. “Once, I remember Ruby ate so much cookies that she made an actual painting in the living room –”

     “ _Yang!_ ” Ruby protested, banging useless against her sister’s arms and muscular back. “Do not tell that story –”

     But her sister went on pretending she wasn’t hearing Ruby’s protests. Luckily, Jaune seemed too terrified and suffocating to properly hear the story. Their Pokémon walked behind them (well, Bumblebee _trotted_ , Crescent _flew_ and Mors _floated_ , but you get the idea), seemingly amused by the scene. Yang, still unaware of the giant buffoon she was being, kept dragging them until they reached the front courtyard of Beacon, where a number of students were gathered, chatting animatedly.          One, however captured Ruby’s attention. Well, two. One was Weiss, seemingly in a much better mood than a few minutes ago. The other was the girl that seemingly put her in that mood. A tall and strong girl with a fiery ponytail that reached her waist and vibrant green eyes. She was clad with red and bronze from head to toe in a what resembled armor, including a circlet on her head. Beside her was a Lucario leaning against a tree, seemingly tuning off whatever the two trainers were talking about. Ruby had lived her entire life around trainers and she could tell which trainers were powerful. Both girls were powerful but the redhead girl seemed something else. In fact, she seemed somewhat familiar to Ruby. Yang, also seemed captivated by the girl, though given her face it could only mean one thing. Dropping them, the blonde strode forward in wide, quick paces. Yep, that only meant one thing.

     “So, Pyrrha –” Weiss was saying before Yang cut her through.

     “NIKOS!” called Yang, making the heiress almost jump out of her skin. “The Junior Champion of Mistral here in my turf…”

     The Lucario, opened one eye and then closed it again, seemingly unbothered by the angry blonde that was roaring at his trainer.

     Pyrrha smiled. “You must be Yang Xiao Long, Junior Champion of Vale.” She tilted her head. “I take it you want a battle?”

     “Hell yeah, I wanna a battle!”

     The redhead turned to Weiss. “I’m sorry Weiss, but a champion cannot deny another.”

     Weiss nodded absentmindedly, her heart apparently still recovering from Yang’s voice. Ruby felt her pain. The other trainers around also seemed to, because they had already started moving away even before the battle was announced. Now they left a wide open path of cobblestone for the two champions to fight.

     “Go Ember Celica!”

     There was a flash of light and then Ember appeared in the battle ground. Yang’s second Pokémon, her midnight Lycanroc, was as scary as her trainer when angry. Ember always looked angry, though, with that ragged smile and red eyes. She was actually a sweetheart – but don’t spread it.

     “Come out, Akoúo!”

     From Pyrrha’s Poké Ball came out a Magnemite.

     “Ah, yes,” Yang smirked. “Use Fire Punch.”

     “ _Lycanroc!_ ”

     Ember launched herself into the air but Akoúo floated away, higher up.

     “Again!”

     Again, Ember jumped but failed to hit the other Pokémon. The courtyard, on the other hand, now had a pair of burnt craters in it.

     “My turn!” said Pyrrha in a melodic voice. “Akoúo, use Thunderbolt!”

     “Counter it!”

     Ember braced herself, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and became covered in a purple aura. The Thunderbolt hit and pushed her a few feet back but the Lycanroc shook it off, growled and jumped forward with a packed punch. But Akoúo floated away again and the courtyard took the blow instead.

     Yang growled. “Ember, use Stone Edge!”

     The Lycanroc growled again, the purple aura coating her once more and with a heavy stomp made multiple jagged stone pillars erupt from the ground. Predictably, the Magnemite floated away again – however with some difficulty this time because of the sheer number of rocks and was even hit by one in the end, though it barely did any damage. Funnily enough, the Lucario was still leaning against the tree, barely showing any sign of being away of a battle apart from when it sidestepped to evade one of the rocks.

     Weiss (who had skipped towards them) shook her head. “Rock attack against Steel, what a –”

     “My turn!” cried Pyrrha, clearly enjoying herself. “Akoúo, use –”

     “Sand Attack!”

     With a defiant roar, Ember buried her fists into the ground with lightning speed and in a blink the makeshift arena was covered in dust.

     Beside her, Ruby heard Weiss sigh. “Magnemite will just –”

     Float up. Yes. The magnet Pokémon floated up before it could take the brunt of the attack. But that wasn’t what Yang had been aiming for.

     “N  OW!”

     There was a sudden shift in the dust below and a flicker of a light Ruby knew Pyrrha wasn’t seeing because of one of the rocky pillars that had remained. And there she was, Ember jumping out of the cloud and rising above Akoúo, a fist covered in flames. A tail of dust followed her, revealing the pillar she had used as leverage.

     “ _Lycanroc!_ ”

     Akoúo was hit straight in the… uh… ball thingy with the eye, and was sent plummeting with so much force that the impact cleared away the rest of the dust. But as Ember hoped down, the Magnemite erupted from its crater, tackling the Lycanroc. Ember’s purple aura flared and she punched the Pokémon away, who shrugged off the blow and spun back towards its trainer.

     “That was clever!” shouted Pyrrha from the other side of the courtyard. Yang gave her a cocky grin at that. “Akoúo, use Flash Cannon!”

     “Fire Punch again!”

     Before either Pokémon could advance, however, a light pink light covered them and sent them crashing into the ground. Pyrrha stepped aside as a very angry looking woman came stomping down the stairs, an Espeon at her heels, eyes glowing. Professor Glynda Goodwitch, Ruby knew her, she was a friend of her Uncle Qrow. As the rest of the people and Pokémon gathered watched, the cat Pokémon dropped Ember and Akoúo and then went about using Psychic to fix the courtyard.

     “Children,” said Professor Goodwitch, with a tone that said she was barely restraining herself from chocking somebody. “There will be enough time to fight after your Initiation.”

 

     After Espeon had fixed the courtyard and Yang and Pyrrha had congratulated each other and promised a rematch, they all made their way steadily into the towering castle that was Beacon. They were all directed to a cavernous ballroom with checkered floors, stained windows and mosaic ceilings that showed legendary and common Pokémon and illuminated by a series of golden chandeliers. It was big enough to accommodate everybody with ease and on the far end was a stage. Ruby and Yang (their Pokémon safely in their Poké Balls) hanged together in the middle. Jaune had disappeared somewhere in the crowd between the courtyard and the ballroom, as had Pyrrha and the angry girl – Weiss. Blake, the girl with the Umbreon from earlier, was also still disappeared. And then, the lights dimmed and then came to the stage Professor Goodwitch and another man: tall and lean, dressed in green with fuzzy hair and crooked glasses. That would be another of Uncle Qrow’s friends, Professor Ozpin.

     “Welcome! Welcome!” said Ozpin, as he reached the microphone. “All and all, be welcomed to Beacon Academy – or Beacon Laboratory – or Beacon Sanctuary – however you may wish to call Beacon. I am Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster, you could say, of our fine institution. And behind me, is Professor Glynda Goodwitch, one of our most talented researchers and mentors here in Beacon. Of course, you gathered here today are not here to study. No, though studying is by far not behind you. You are here to receive your Pokédexes so you may properly and officially start your journeys! But, first things first! There is a test before you receive such prizes.”

     A low murmur filled the hall. In the midst of the murmurs, there came Jaune and Honedge from the crowd, looking thoroughly confused and lost.

     “For those of you not fully aware of how the Initiation here at Beacon works, allow me to explain. Before each of you are given a Pokédex and sent on your merry way, you will be paired with a partner and then you and your partner will be paired with another pair. In other words, you will be sorted into groups of four. This, of course, has a security purpose, what with Team Grimm on the prowl and the ever growing aggressiveness of the White Fang, not to mention your everyday dangers of a trainer’s journey. But, we have also found that such teams prove quite exceptional at bringing the best of each trainer.

     “Among the lot of you there are three types of trainers: those that seek to defeat Gym Leaders and face the League; the coordinators that seek enough Ribbons to qualify for the Grand Festival; and, of course, those that seek to travel and learn about Pokémon – the future Professors. In every team there will be at least one of each group. Now, some of you may be asking: why four if there are only three categories?” Behind Ozpin, Glynda shook her head and face palmed when the Headmaster went on. “Well, the answer is quite simple, it is better for naming the teams.”

     It felt as if the entire hall had fallen on their heads at hearing that answer.

     “The Initiation, however, will be tomorrow,” said Ozpin. “Tonight, you and your Pokémon shall dine and sleep here, together and mixed under the – er – chandelier light. Do not worry nor preoccupy your heads with making alliances. The Initiation and sorting is highly random but, in the end, quite efficient and true and I can assure all of you will come to see that.” He clapped. “But farewell for now! I recommend you have a goodnight’s sleep. Tomorrow will be quite a… _plummeting_.”

     Once again, Professor Goodwitch face palmed, though Ruby wasn’t entirely sure _why_ she did it this time. At any rate, both Ozpin and Glynda walked off stage and disappeared behind a door.

     “Uh…” Jaune shared a look with his Honedge. “I don’t like the sound of that…”

     “Don’t worry!” Yang said, almost knocking the boy over with the pat she gave to his back. “How bad could it be? It’s not like they’ll be dropping us off a cliff or something!” she grinned. “Come on. Let us find a nice spot and get something to eat.”

 

 

 


	2. Sleepover

     _The moon hung like a scythe, a silver scar on the otherwise black field. No starlight had been strong enough to penetrate the thick dark clouds that otherwise bowed and scuttled away from the moon as if in reverence. A Noctowl hooted in the trees. In the valley below, Oddish were on the move. And far in the distance, a lonely Lycanroc could be heard calling the pale moon. It was a peaceful sight, though they could not delay here – they must reach the mountain pass before autumn or be held back by the snows. Turning westward, they set their cane deep into the soil and –_

 

     Blake internally sighed when she heard steps coming in her direction. Shroud’s ears twitched and rose his head to look at whoever was approximating. Memorizing the paragraph she was on, Blake peered over the pages of her book and immediately forgot all about it. Coming up to her was the gorgeous blonde from earlier – Yang – dragging her little sister. Her pajamas consisted of an orange crop top that showed off her muscled stomach and a pair of short black shorts that showed off her toned legs… _No, bad Blake!_ She scolded herself. _Haven’t you learned your lesson, yet?_

     “Hi!” greeted the blonde.

     “Hello…” said Blake, trying not stare at the girl’s navel.

_Look at her eyes instead you imbecile!_ Yes, looking at one’s eyes is much politer. _Dammit, her eyes are beautiful._ _Okay, try the hair…_ Her hair was a mane of pure sunshine… _Dammit, Belladonna!_

     Shroud, sensing his partner’s internal panic, got up, stretched and trotted over to Yang.

     “Hey, there little guy,” she said, bending over to pat the Umbreon. “Shroud, right?”

     “ _Umbreon!_ ”

     Yang chuckled and then looked back at Blake. “So, me and Rubes found a spot with a few other people – they are quite nice – and I see you are here all alone, so… Do you want to join us?”

     “Thank you, but me and Shroud –”

     “What are you reading?” the younger sister asked curiously.

     Blake tilted her head. Nobody had asked her about what she was reading in a long while. It caught her by surprise.

     “It’s a book,” then she realized how unnecessarily rude that had been and added: “It’s about a man with two souls…”

     “Cool!” exclaimed the little girl – Ruby. Her name was Ruby. Blake almost immediately regretted being friendly as Ruby leaned down a bit too much into her personal space. “Is it like Morwenna and Noivern?” she spread her arms drastically and recited: “ _The girl with the soul of a dragon_ –”

     “I doubt it is anything like your silly comic, Rubes,” said Yang.

     “Morwenna and Noivern isn’t silly.”

     “The Man from Ultra Space is far better.”

     Ruby crossed her arms. “It’s pretentious.”

     “You take that back!”

     “Never!”

The two sisters lunged at each other like a pair of Mankeys. Umbreon, sidestepped back towards Blake, where it sat to watch the whole situation. Admittedly, Blake was a bit confused on how make the two sisters stop. Basing on the way their eyes smiled, Blake doubted the two sisters _wanted_ to stop. That is, until Yang sent Ruby tripping backwards, right into… _Uh-oh…_

     “What – YOU!” screeched the Schnee heiress, her white Vulpix echoing her trainer.

     Ruby immediately jumped into Yang’s arm and clung to her neck. “Oh, no! It is happening again!”

     “What is your problem with my sister?!” demanded Yang, unceremoniously dropping Ruby to the floor.

     “She’s a hazard to my health!”

     The blonde leaned forward. Blake did not fail to notice how the heiress eyes dropped to Yang’s… uh, generous chest. “I’ll show you what is a hazard –”

     “I liked both,” interrupted Blake, trying to look up at the ceiling. “Both books, I mean.”

     Ruby rose her head happily and Yang crossed both arms. The Schnee frowned, confused. She opened her mouth but what came out was a melodic:

     “Hello, again!”

     “Oh, hello Pyrrha!” beamed the heiress.

     The redhead’s Lucario was right behind the champion, about a head taller than Pyrrha Nikos.

     “Hello, Weiss,” between the four of them, she seemed the only one genuinely happy at being so close to the girl. “Are you coming to sit with us?”

     Blake had to hide her smile with her book. For years afterward she wished she had taken a photo of Yang and Ruby’s reactions at the offer. Yet, none of the three were rude enough to deny Pyrrha’s request and Weiss Schnee, though as hesitant as a plant Pokémon in a volcano, followed them to their little camp against the far wall. Blake followed them too, though that was _Shroud’s_ doing, who accepted Yang’s invitation for Blake. The dark Pokémon threw her a look that said everything, she needed to know. He was messing with her. She glared right back at him. _You little…_

     “This is Jaune,” interrupted Yang, pointing to a blonde guy with a Honedge floating beside him. “And these are Ren and Nora.”

     Both boys lifted their hands to wave and were about to say some sort of welcome when the redhead girl – Nora – jumped high and released some form of jolly roar.

     “Your Pokémon are so _cute_!”

     Despite the sudden blur that almost knocked Blake on her butt, she smirked at the sight of Shroud in that Bewear hug. Revenge is a dish best served cold, as they said. Myrtenaster had also been a victim of the energetic redhead, though Weiss seemed far more annoyed than the Pokémon. Much for the contrary, the white Vulpix seemed to melt into the girl’s embrace.

     “Nora,” said Ren calmly. “Could you please not strangle other people’s Pokémon?”

     “Hmmm? Oh, sorry.” She put Shroud and Myrtenaster down. “But they are so _cute_!”

     “You say that about every Pokémon you see.”

     “They are all cute!”

     Blake and Weiss ended up sitting side by side – neither of them quite comfortable. Shroud and Myrtenaster, on the other hand, were quick to make a friendship despite nestled in their trainer’s laps. Unbeknown to them, they had sat where the two sisters had been previously, effectively splitting them up. Neither seemed to mind much, though Ruby was a bit hesitant to sit down next to Weiss, seemingly waiting for the heiress to yell at her again. Yang, on the other hand, flopped herself down with ease beside Blake. Pyrrha made her way close to the blonde boy – Jaune – and sat between him and Ruby, her Lucario sitting back to back with her. Nora kept rambling about how cute Pokémon were for another few minutes before Ren, with a voice as soft as silk, pointed out that other people may also want to speak. Clearly these two were a duo already and had been for a long time. _They complement each other_ , thought Blake, already wondering if they were an item.

     “So… Weiss…” said Ruby tentatively, looking downwards. “What are you seeking to become?”

     The heiress seemed surprise that Ruby addressed her. So was Yang basing on the way she looked at her sister.

     “A coordinator,” said Weiss.

     “Oh, cool!” cried Nora, leaning on her knees. “Me too! I want to leave those uptight judges so much out of breath that they have to be taken out in an ambulance!”

     Ren just shook his head.

     The way the heiress tried for a smile was hilarious, somewhere between being terrified and being constipated. Still, taking in consideration the general behavior of the Schnees, Blake was surprised she made the effort at all and didn’t tell the overly animated girl off.

     “What about you, Blake?” asked Yang, leaning against the wall.

     “I wish to study Pokémon,” she said. “More specifically, I wish to study the bond between people and Pokémon. I don’t even need to ask you, Yang, do I?”

     Smirking, the blonde shook her head. “Me and Rubes are here for the League.” She punched the air in front of her. “You too, Pyrrha, eh?”

     The redhead nodded and then looked at the blonde boy. “You look like a warrior, Jaune,” she said. “I take it you also will be taking the Gym Leaders?”

     “Me?!” Jaune asked incredulous. “A warrior? Nah. But me and Mors are taking on the Pokémon League.”

     “ _Honedge!_ ”

     “Excuse me,” interrupted Weiss Schnee. “I understand that this… er, _bonding_ moment is socially important. But people are trying to sleep. And I do need it, as well.”

     “Oh, she’s right!” cried Ruby, looking around at the ballroom.

     True enough, most of the people in the room were already laying down. Though them talking was hardly their biggest problem since the chandeliers were still on and quite bright.

     “Where is the switch?” asked Blake, craning her neck to try and find it.

     “Don’t worry about it,” said Nora suddenly getting up. “I’ll solve it. Go, Magnhild!” cried Nora, tossing a Pokéball in the air.

     Out came a Pikachu, as energetic looking as its trainer.

     Ren’s eyes went wide. “Nora, no –”

     “Use Discharge!”

 

     The full moon beamed down into Ozpin’s office, the shorter towers of Beacon below dark against the silvery light. Beyond stretched Emerald Forest, though now it was more a sea of ivory and ebony; light and darkness mixing in the boughs of the trees. The office was silent save for the rhythmic _tick-tock_ of the cogs. Glynda was off, no doubt spying on the children in the ballroom. Port and Oobleck were off filming another segment of _Man Up With Port!_ , a little hobby of theirs. Which was a relief, truth be told. Not that Ozpin didn’t like the two, but after a while hearing the same cabbage-ancestor story the 20th time in a row and having to keep up with Oobleck’s buzzing about like a crazy Beedril… well, suffice to say it gets old. Still, Ozpin hoped they would come back soon, there was work to be done, after all. Speaking of coming back… Qrow had gone silent for an awful long time. He knew his lieutenant was alright since he apparently had been at an Elite Four meeting recently, yet he seemed to flicker. Seen, unseen, seen again. Now he was unseen. For Qrow to go quiet in the field was nothing new, but still, Ozpin wondered…

     The lights flickered for a second before going dark again. Odd that, he would have to have somebody check that light bulb later.

     The sound of soft feet snapped him out of his wondering. They were too soft to be Glynda’s. Too soft to be human, in fact. They barely touched the floor with each step.

     “Yes, old friend?” asked Ozpin, leaning back on his chair.

     “The Aura Guardian.”

     Ozpin brought his fingers together. “What about her?”

     “She is the daughter of the last one.”

     “Indeed.”

     Slowly turning away from the window, he looked over at the Pokémon, silver in the moonlight that poured from behind Ozpin and seeming to glow in the gloomy office.

     “I take it,” said Mewtwo. “That you will not tell her?”

     Ozpin leaned forward, bringing his fingers to his chin.

     “Miss Rose will learn in due time about her abilities. I wish not to put such a burden on her shoulders as she starts her journey.”

     “That you hastened.”

     “Do you think I did wrong?”

     His partner’s face was unreadable. “I think you did what you do, old friend. And I think I shall play along.”


	3. Emerald Forest I

     Ruby had had some difficulty sleeping that night. She was anxious about not being paired with Yang during the Initiation. After meeting some of the other trainers last night her nerves had been soothed somewhat but she still really wanted to be in the same team as her big sister.

     Now she and Crescent were standing right in front of a cliff, a thick green forest spreading below them like a leafy sea. Yang and Bumblebee were right beside them, as were Jaune and Mors. In fact, all the trainers that had slept at the ballroom were there, each with a Pokémon partner at their side. Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch were facing them; the former calmly sipping his coffee, the latter grumpy looking as always and tapping absently on a tablet. Ruby betted she was playing a game.

     “Very well,” said Ozpin after the tenth sip. “Everybody seems to be here, so let us get started. Welcome to the Initiation! There are three phases and the rules are quite simple. Firstly, you must land in the forest below where you must pair up with the first person you make eye contact with after landing. Then you and your partner must each capture or bond with a Pokémon to prove your capacity at extending your team. And finally, you must grab a relic from an abandoned temple. Any questions?”

     Jaune raised his hand. “Huh…”

     “Good!” Ozpin said, bringing out a Poké Ball out of his coat.

     “Sir?” insisted Jaune. “When you say landing… will you, er, be flying us over?”

     “No.”

     The Poké Ball opened and out in a flash of light came a Claydol.

     “Oh, and are there any mattresses or parachutes or –”

     “No. This is really about you and your Pokémon.”

     Jaune and Mors traded a look that made Ruby want to laugh.

     “Rock Edge.”

     “What – AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

     Ruby giggled as she and Crescent went flying over the forest. She was halfheartedly aware of Jaune and Mors grappling with each other as they swirled out of control. To be sincere, she was paying more attention to her own enjoyment and trying to make out Yang and Bumblebee’s trajectory, the two all but running in the air with the Arcanine’s powerful flames. Ruby and Crescent would’ve chased after them if they could but neither were made for flying – well, Crescent could fly but not very good this high up and already they were making an arc downwards. Latching herself on the Scyther’s back, the Pokémon made a violent dive downwards. When they reached the tree line, Crescent used his scythes swing their way down the branches until finally reaching a height in which he could safely hover the two of them to the forest floor.

     “Okay, now to find Yang…” said Ruby, looking around the trees.

     “ _Scyther!_ ”

     The Pokémon sped off towards the general direction they had seen Yang flying towards. Dust and leaves flew about them from Crescent’s speed. The thick trees and shrubs made seeing where they were going difficult. Ruby absently noticed the glittering of ice on the trees but didn’t think much of it, her mind focused on searching for Yang and Bumblebee. Suddenly, the two of them erupted into a clearing where they were met by a pair of sharp blue eyes. Remembering perfectly well of Weiss’s rant in the courtyard yesterday, Crescent froze in an almost cartoonish manner; arching over the heiress and Vulpix like a green wave.

     “Hi…” Ruby waved with a very nervous smile, slipping off her partner.

     Weiss glared at her before swirling on her heels. Despite not really wanting to be paired with her, Ruby couldn’t help but feel her heart sink deep into her stomach. Just then, the four of them heard a shrill cry. Looking up, they spotted a blur of yellow that was suddenly pierced into a tree by a bluish bone that came out of nowhere.

     “Help?” came Jaune’s yelp from somewhere above them.

     Sighing audibly, Weiss swirled on her heels again and pulled Ruby by the collar.

     “Not a word…” she grumbled.

     “You came back!”

 

     Weiss clearly wasn’t happy at being paired with Ruby. She probably would’ve preferred Pyrrha. Truth be told, Ruby also would’ve preferred Pyrrha and she wasn’t happy either. She wasn’t as moody about it as Weiss, though.

     “Wait up!” she cried.

     Neither girl nor Vulpix were waiting for them, trotting forward with their noses upward. Both Ruby and Crescent were normally quick but somehow their new partners were managing to stay a few steps in front of them. Which was unfortunate. Ruby really wanted to try and talk to Weiss. She may not be the nicest of people but they were effectively stuck with each other for the foreseeable future. Better to try and make peace, right? Weiss didn’t seem to agree.

     Ruby released a strangled noise as her cape was suddenly tugged back, almost making her fall back. Mumbling under her breath, Ruby turned around to wretch her cape from whatever root it got tangled on (an unfortunately common occurrence). Much to her surprise, it was not a root but a Pokémon that was using the cape as a tug toy.

     “Ah… Look! A Rockruff! I wanna capture it!”

     That got the heiress to stop and look over her shoulder. Despite being caught red handed – er, red _pawed_ – the Rockruff went on tugging and shaking and growling at the red fabric.

     Weiss smirked. “It fits you.”

     Ruby stuck out her tongue. With a strong tug, she managed to free her cape. The Rockruff did _not_ like that. His fluffy tail suddenly started glowing white. Pointing it at Ruby, a rain of rocks erupted from midair. Crescent launched himself in front of Ruby to shield her.

     “Powder Snow!”

     Following a loud yip, the flying rocks were suddenly coated by a layer of frost, the weight making them fall down a good meter from their original target. Ruby looked with amazement over her shoulder. Myrtenaster was standing behind her in a battle position. Weiss right behind her, grim faced, her stance almost like a dancer.

     “Don’t stare at me, dolt!” she hissed. “This is your battle, after all.”

     “Uh… right!” blushing, Ruby turned back at the snarling Rockruff. “Crescent! Use Razor Wind!”

     Crescent crossed his scythes as they started to glow white, then he made an X-slash and multiple crescent shaped energy waves rushed forward. The Rockruff evaded the first few but finally one hit him, then another that sent him tumbling on the ground, kicking leaves and dust up. Yet, the rock-type was not fazed. He almost immediately jumped back onto his paws, a flame in his eyes. _Yes!_ Ruby screamed in her head. _That’s the spirit I want!_

     “Quick, Crescent! Use Slash!”

     Both of Crescent’s scythes started glowing white again, seemingly turning even sharper. With a battle cry, Crescent flew forward. It brought one scythe down but Rockruff easily evaded it with a jump to its side. Crescent then slashed with his free scythe but once again the Rockruff evaded it with a jump, but this time he landed on Crescent’s arm. Lunging forward with glowing teeth, the Rockruff sunk its fangs into Crescent’s shoulder. When her partner cried out, Ruby instinctively ran to him and tried to pry the other Pokémon off him. But Rockruff was by all intents and purposes stuck. No matter how much Ruby pulled, the rock-type would not let go. Needless to say that Crescent wasn’t finding Ruby’s actions particularly useful either, though he too was in a lost on how to get rid of Rockruff.

     “You _dolt_!” Weiss yelled somewhere behind her. “Use an attack!”

     “Right.” Ruby felt really stupid now. “Crescent, use Quick Attack upwards!”

     Nodding, Crescent all but disappeared upwards. He was so quick it was as if the Scyther was teleporting. Each time he reappeared he was in a different position, desperately trying to shrug the Rockruff off but the dog Pokémon was stubborn. _I love him already!_ Ruby squealed mentally, though her thoughts were obvious to anybody watching with the way she clapped and made a little dance. She swore she heard Weiss say _dolt_ , though that might’ve just been the heiress’s echo. What did work for Crescent was him barreling through a few branches. With a yelp, Rockruff let go and went plummeting downwards.

     “Now, Crescent! Use Air Slash!”

     “ _Scyther!_ ”

     Once again, Crescent’s scythes glowed white. He waved them down, releasing multiple half-moons that exploded against Rockruff. The rock-type Pokémon crashed into the forest floor with a great cloud of smoke. With a victorious smirk, Ruby brought out a Poké Ball and tossed it at Rockruff. The unconscious Pokémon was turned into a red beam that then entered the Poké Ball. The button flashed red. Ruby fell to her knees as she waited. The ball tilted this way and that and then… _Whoosh!_ Rockruff was captured.

     “Yes!” Ruby cried, picking up the Poké Ball with one hand and hugging Crescent as he landed with her free arm. “I captured my first Pokémon!”

     “ _Scyther!_ ” Crescent agreed cheerfully.

     “Dolt.”

     Myrtenaster agreed with a yip.

 

     There was no doubt that Ruby was happy with her newest partner. Barely seconds after capturing him, Ruby had called the Rockruff forth to properly welcome him to the team. Despite fighting _seconds_ prior, the rock-type seemed quite happy with it – though maybe that had something to do with Ruby letting it play tug with the hem of her cape as they continued their walk. This meant that for the rest of their walk, Weiss was condemned to listen to the puppy-angry growls of Ruckruff as it fought the enemy that was Ruby’s cloak. Surprisingly, that didn’t bother Weiss nearly as much as she thought it would. Maybe it was because Rockruff was cute. It also didn’t bother her nearly as it should the fact that Ruby didn’t stop commemorating her first capture. Maybe it also was because the girl was cute –

     _She is annoying, is what she is_ , Weiss scolded herself.

     Right now Weiss should be concentrating in finding the _best_ Pokémon in this forest. It should have a good portfolio of attacks to impress the judges or at least be able to learn good ones. But it should also be able to hold itself well in a battle – so it should also have a few powerful moves. Oh, and useful abilities, as well. Maybe she should focus on the battle-front, Myrtenaster could, after all, make the judges cry with her performances. There must be Heracross here, they were quite powerful Pokémon. Then again an Ursaring would do the trick, as well. Or maybe she should go a bit slower and capture a Nidoran and then evolve it; both Nidoking and Nidoqueen were good fighters with an excellent type combination. Gyarados was a solid choice but she doubted she would have enough time to evolve a Magikarp and properly train it before the Contest. Also, she would first have to _find_ a stream and then look for Magikarp in it. What about Mankey? Nah, too brutish. Torkoal? Interesting idea, if she could find one and defeat it with Myrtenaster (there was, after all, a type disadvantage there). Larvitar? Highly unlikely. Houndour? Maybe…

     The sound of a struggle pulled Weiss away from her scheming. Suddenly there was a cry of pain and Ruby was running in front of her, Crescent and Rockruff at her heels.

     “Wait up!” Weiss hissed.

     Myrtenaster jumped on her shoulder and the two of them ran after Ruby, eventually all five erupting into a large clearing. What they found there was a flock of Spearow picking on a single downed Pidgey. It was trying to shield itself with one wing, the other laying uselessly on the ground beside it.

     “HEY!” roared Ruby.

     Her voice succeeded in making the Spearow stop picking on the wounded Pdigey. Unfortunately, their attention was fully turned on them. Weiss was the first to react at the upcoming attack.

     “Myrtenaster, use Powder Snow!”

     Ruby quickly followed her example.

     “Crescent, use Razor Wind! Rockruff, use Rock Throw!”

     Between the ice, rocks and moons, the Spearow squawked and flew off towards the other end of the clearing and then into the trees.

     “Yeah!” cried Ruby. “You better run!”

     As Ruby and her two Pokémon scared off the rest of the Spearrow, Weiss kneeled beside the wounded Pidgey.

     “Poor thing…” Weiss cooed, lifting the Pidgey into her lap.

     Myrtenaster quickly came to her side to console the bird Pokémon.

     Rummaging through her extremely well organized bag, Weiss quickly found what she was looking for: a potion, a pair of sticks and a bit of linen.

     “Hold on, little guy…” she whispered.

     The Pidgey wasn’t particularly happy at feeling the potion being sprayed on its wing but quickly relaxed as the spray’s soothing effects kicked in. With trained ease, Weiss put the wounded wing between the two sticks and then tied it together with the linen.

     “There,” Weiss said proudly. The Pidgey moved its wing a little bit to test it. Apparently satisfied, it chirped. “Come on,” Weiss said, getting up, the bird Pokémon still cradled in her arms. “If you later want to stay with us, I’ll get a Poké Ball for you.”

     Pidgey chirped happily at this, nestling itself comfortably into the crook of Weiss’s arm. Smiling softly down at the Pokémon, Weiss lifted her head to see Ruby looking at her with an expression she couldn’t quite pinpoint.

     “What?” she demanded.

     Ruby blinked. “Nothing!” she cried clumsily. “I just didn’t think you would –”

     “There’s much you don’t know about me, Ruby Rose,” Weiss snapped.

     “I’d…” the girl bit her lip. “I’d like to change that.”

     “ _Scyther!_ ” her Pokémon agreed with a wave of his scythe.

     Rockruff seemed to jump in agreement, or maybe it was trying to bite Crescent’s scythe.

     Myrtenaster answered with a happy yip. Weiss threw her partner a look.

     “Whatever, dolt,” she said, swirling on her heels. “You and I have a Pokémon each. Let’s find those relics.”


	4. Emerald Forest II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know its been a very long while.

     “HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

     Bumblebee brought a tree down as he landed, the crash making all sort of bird Pokémon rise in flight. Yang looked around. They had aimed at a clearing and seemingly had done a good job reaching it, seeing that Bumblebee could not fly. It hadn’t been _graceful_. A tree wretched from its roots and a bit of scorched grass, but seeing how they had not started a forest fire, Yang decided to consider the landing an enormous success.

     “What do you think, bud?” she asked, leaning down the Arcanine’s mane. “Should we go look for Ruby?”

     Her partner growled and sniffed the air, turning his head to the south. So Ruby was south, huh? Makes sense, Crescent and her wouldn’t have been able to stay airborne for too long.

     Suddenly, Bumblebee roared, wheeling his entire body to the right.

     “Uh, oh…”

     Staring down at them from a nearby group of trees was a colony of Mankey. They looked very mad. Yes, Mankey always look mad but these looked madder than normal. Yang looked down at the fallen tree. Oh… maybe this was their clearing. In which case, they were screwed. It wasn’t that Bumblebee and Yang couldn’t take on Mankey, quite the contrary, they had taken them on trainer battles in the past and even the duo or trio back in Patch in the woods behind her and Ruby’s house. They knew how to deal with Mankey. The problem was that said Pokémon had a nasty tendency of swarming their opponents. Yang could count about fifteen, possibly more behind the leaves. She and Bumblebee couldn’t take all of these at once. Even if she called Ember out, she doubted they would be able. Yang was about to order Bumblebee to make a run for it when she heard a great battle-screech come from the trees. Wincing, Yang braced for the inevitable rain of fists and fur. But instead of all the colony coming down on them, just a single Chimchar jumped down. He was a bit bigger than the Mankey, who seemed to hold this Chimchar in awe. The Chimp Pokémon banged his fists together and then punched the ground, fixing Yang and Bumblebee with a fiery gaze.

     “You… want a battle?” Yang smirked. This was one of hers. “Fine.”

     She slipped off Bumblebee’s back with ease and her partner immediately entered into a battle position.

     “Quick, Bumblebee! Use Flamethrower!”

     Rearing his head backwards, Bumblebee released a torrent of fire. The Chimchar easily evaded. He back flipped away from the fire, his feet hitting a tree that he used as leverage to launch forward. Chimchar’s fist started glowing a bright white.

     “Send him back with Crunch!”

     Fangs growing and glowing, Bumblebee caught the Chimchar’s arm as he fell on him and sent their foe flying back and tumbling until they hit the tree. The Mankey started pounding and making noises. It almost sounded like booing, though Yang wasn’t quite sure if it was directed at her or their “leader”. The Chimchar got off, quickly shaking the dirt off his fur. He seemed even angrier now, breathing in a way that made Yang fear that he was about to have stroke or something. Three claw-like light-blades erupted from Chimchar’s paws and he attacked. Bumblebee easily evaded the Scratch but because of the momentum the Chimchar could not stop and so kept barreling towards Yang. She was not as quick as her partner. All Yang saw was a whitish blur going past her and then a single golden lock falling to the floor. Yang stared at it for a good ten heartbeats. Bumblebee whined and stepped back. To her left, the Chimchar was heaving heavily, squaring its shoulders for another attack.

     “You…” Yang turned to the Pokémon. “YOU!”

     Little need be said of how surprised the Chimchar was at the blonde girl’s reaction. All Yang saw was red and she acted on it. Before the fighting-type could even move she was on him, landing a single solid punch that sent him flying against a tree. Chimchar properly fell unconscious. Yang tossed a Poké Ball. The ball opened and called in the Pokémon; the light went on and off three times before the Poké Ball properly sealed itself.

     “That’ll teach you,” Yang said, pocketing the Poké Ball.

     There was a sudden chorus of shouts and screeches and the sound of a dozen feet hitting the ground at once. Now the colony was on the ground, breathing heavily and shaking with fury.

     “Oh grapes…”

     Yang got back into a fighting stance.

     Bumblebee’s heckles rose, fire dancing amongst his teeth.

     And then came the purple blur. A Purrloin. The Mankey’s stopped their rage out of curiosity. Then the Purrloin’s eyes grew wide and watery.

     “ _Purr… Purr…_ ”

     And now they were acting bashfully. And… and were those blushes?

     “Oh… they’re using Charm…”

     There was a tug on her wrist and suddenly Yang was being pulled into a run.

     The girl from last night – Blake was dragging her ahead. Yang opened her mouth and then closed it. She looked back. Bumblebee had only started his run but was already catching up to them. The Purrloin had ditched the Mankey’s and was trotting right beside Bumblebee.

     As Yang watched, the Mankey’s shook themselves out of their bashfulness. They looked at each other, then at them and smoke puffed out of their nostrils.

     “Ah, grapes…”

     She brought two free fingers to her mouth and whistled. Bumblebee barked curtly in reply. He lowered his head and sped to reach them. Yang jumped on his back with ease, pulling Blake with her. the Purrloin hoped right beside them.

     “Hold on!” she called just as an ungodly chorus came from behind them.

     Bumblebee was suddenly a blur.

 

     Yang hoped off Bumblebee’s back and gave a stretch, a grin on her face.

     “Ah! Now that’s what I call a morning! Don’t you agree, bud?”

     The Arcanine barked, watching Blake and her Pokémon slid down from his back. They seemed much less pleased with the ordeal than they were.

     “Did you always have that Purrloin?” Yang asked.

     “No. I befriended Gambol a few minutes ago.” She patted the cat Pokémon’s head. “Thank you for your help.”

     The Pokémon purred mischievously (and Yang knew quite well what mischief sounded like in Human and Pokémon) and seemed to smirk before Blake recalled her to her Poké Ball.

     “Thanks for the help back there, by the way. You arrived just in time. Me and Bumblebee would’ve taken a while to beat those monkeys.”

     Bumblebee roared and spewed fire in agreement.

     Blake looked up with an eyebrow raised. “Well,” she got up easily from the ground, brushing her knees. “If I’m being sincere, I had been watching you fight that Chimchar… It was…”

     “Awesome? Inspiring?”

     “Unconventional, some would say –”

     “Well, I’m all about –”

     “Others, would call it stupid.”

     “Heh…”

     Yang scratched her head awkwardly, looking around them to try to hide her blush. Bumblebee had stopped just by a small waterfall. A creek rushed by noisily. The trees near the bank were mostly willows and reeds grew almost to waist length.

     “You mentioned you befriended Gambol just now? But… well, that was quick!”

     Blake smirked, she leaned against a nearby willow’s trunk and called out the partner Yang knew from last night: Shroud the Umbreon.

     The Moonlight Pokémon yawned loudly and stretched. He looked up with big red eyes and twitched his ears at the sight of Yang.

     “I’m good with Pokémon,” Blake said as Shroud hopped onto her shoulder. He seemed a bit too big but Blake didn’t seem to mind. “And you don’t need to fight them to get them to join you.”

     Suddenly Bumblebee raised his head, sniffed and barked.

     “What is it, bud?”

     With another bark, Bumblebee leaped into a trot, jumped over the creek and plunged into the forest.

     “Hey! Wait!”

     Yang ran after him, Blake not far behind. Bumblebee led them around trees and into bushes, sniffing the air intently. The farther they went, the more excited he became and when voices started drifting from beyond a large bush, he stopped.

     “Quicker, Ruby, quicker!”

     “Is this okay? I don’t want to hurt you…”

     “I’m not made of glass, you dolt!”

     “Argh, it’s all gooey!”

     “And whose fault is that?”

     Something snapped inside Yang and she plunged through the giant bush.

     “WHAT IS GOING ON IN –”

     “Hi, Yang…”

     Ruby smiled at her sister sheepishly while Weiss huffed annoyed from above, her cheeks red. She was dangling upside down from a nearby branch, wrapped from feet to neck. The Ice Queen’s Vulpix was dejectedly swinging just above her owner with a similar haughty expression. Ruby was wrapped up to her waist, tugging at Weiss’s cocoon. Crescent was tied to her back, his scythes glued together, the same web also gluing a Rockruff to Ruby’s chest. A Pidgey with one of its wings bandaged was uselessly pecking at a tendril of the web.

     Whatever anger and overprotection had been in Yang’s system but a second ago was now completely gone. She threw her head back and grabbed her sides as a roar of laughter escaped her.

     That only made Weiss blush even more – or maybe it was the blood rushing. Ruby stuck out her tongue.

     “Quit laughing Yang and help us!” she cried.

     “What happened here?” asked Blake, failing to suppress a smile.

     “I don’t know!” Ruby squirmed. “It all happened so fast!”

     Weiss rolled her eyes. “My dolt of a partner saw a Spinarak. She squeaked something about it being cute and then proceeded to try to strangle it with a hug.”

     “I wasn’t –”

     “Next thing I notice a bunch of Spinarak are trapping us in this web. The end. Now, prove yourself more useful than these three –” she nodded at Ruby and her Pokémon. “– and get us out!”

     “Okay, okay,” Yang said striding forth. “Just _hang_ in there and I’ll get you out of this _sticky_ situation.”

     Weiss huffed angrily and rolled her eyes.

     Smirking, Yang grabbed a fistful of web and gave it a strong pull. It didn’t budge. Nor did it let her go when Yang tried to let go.

     “Uh oh…”

     She braced a foot against the web and tried to push herself out. Instead, her foot got stuck and she fell on her butt.

     Somewhere above, Weiss sighed.

     “I’m surrounded by idiots…”

     Yang growled. She started tugging ever more strongly at the threads and kicking with her free foot.

     “I’m. Not. Getting. Defeated. By. A. Bit. Of. Spider. Poop!”

     With each word her tugging grew stronger, making the other prisoners in the web rattle and shake. Yang didn’t even notice her free foot had gotten stuck before she somehow managed to propel herself deeper into the web, now stuck not far from Ruby’s feet.

     “Oh, that’s it!” she roared, still struggling uselessly.

     Ruby seemed to shrink. “Uh oh…”

     Crescent Rose started biting at their bonds furiously, eyes wide.

     “Bumblebee! Use Flamethrower!”

     “What?!” Weiss shrieked. “No!”

     Bumblebee threw his head back, flames sprouting from between his teeth.

     “ _Arca –_ ”

     _SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!_

     White threads of web fell uselessly to the floor, the others suddenly free. This was bad news for the Ice Queen who from a with a loud thud. Her Vulpix fell right on top of her fallen Mistress.   

     Blake towered over them, Gambol perched on her shoulder like the world’s oddest bird Pokémon. Despite her stern crossed arms, she was smirking.

 

     “So you haven’t captured them yet?” Blake asked.

     Weiss looked down at the Pidgey cradled in her arms.

     “He – well, I think they are a he – anyway, they aren’t well yet. I’m just taking care of them until they are well. A trip to the Pokémon Centre will do, I think. Stupid of me not to bring stronger healing products. Anyway, after Pidgey’s wing gets better, then we’ll see about him joining me.”

     Blake regarded the heiress. How gentle she held the bird, how she scratched its head with a single finger. Perhaps this Schnee was different. No… she was different.

     _It makes no difference_ , she told herself, _those days are over_.       

     Ruby and Yang half led, half fought a few paces in front of them.

     “I can’t believe I’m stuck with one of those idiots…” Weiss murmured. “Probably both, the way my luck runs.”

     “Hey guys, check this out!!!” Yang yelled.

     Before Blake or Weiss could actually look, the two and their Pokémon sped off and disappeared through the tree line.

     Weiss sighed. “Dolts!”

     Her Vulpix yipped in agreement.

     Blake and Weiss wordlessly agreed to follow them in a reasonable pace. The trees suddenly gave way to an open grassland and in the middle a broken circle of columns. The sisters were already running about the place. The two girls shared a look before marching up to the ruins.

     Boots thumped against a broken stone floor, moss and weeds slashing the grey with green. Half the columns were broken, the rest at least cracked with faint figures of Pokémon. Blake could not quite make most of them, faded and broken as they were. There were a series of pedestals arrayed in a smaller circled shadowing the columns, and upon each a single chess piece. Blake presumed these were the relics, though she would hardly had chosen such a name to describe such new and shiny pieces.

     Ruby and Yang each held a matching pair of golden Rapidash and were partaking on what Blake could only assume was a mock aerial battle.

     Something moved in the corner of her vision.

     “Don’t.”

     With a disappointed purr, Gambol allowed herself to be snuck back into her Poké Ball.

     “Some are missing…” she mumbled. Gambol’s little failed purloining had brought the missing pieces to her attention. “We weren’t the first here.”

     “No surprise there…” Weiss spat as she ripped off a remaining bit of web from her coat. “Hey! Dumb dumbs! We got what we were after, time to leave –”

     A roar shook the land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Sorry for taking almost a year to continue this. I at first waited for the new generation to come out to see if any of the new Pokémon would be fits for the series. Then life happened, college and work got in the way. But I'm back, partially inspired by The Dragon Prince having a semi-oficial Pokémon Au, by a few emails and the fact that I'm currently stuck at home.


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